Fri, May 16 2008
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Published May 04, 2008 11:56 pm - MSSU women earn first MIAA title Lions claim Triple Crown of cross country, indoor and outdoor championships From staff reports
sports@joplinglobe.com MARYVILLE, Mo. — “Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.” That’s the way Missouri Southern’s women end their team meetings in track and field. With their performance Sunday, the Lions proved their slogan isn’t just empty words. Southern swept to the MIAA outdoor championship at Northwest Missouri State, winning the conference Triple Crown for cross country and indoor and outdoor track. Both the outdoor title and the Triple Crown were school firsts. “They’ve worked so hard to get to this point,” said Patty Vavra, women’s track coach. “They’ve been so focused and they looked ahead to this. They just would not be denied. “Sometimes you can say you want to do something, but this goes way beyond just saying it. ... They put in the long hours, the hard work.” Obviously, the Lions meant it when they said they wanted to be Triple Crown winners. Southern’s women scored 193 points to 152 1/2 for defending champion Central Missouri. Emporia State was third with 149 points and Pittsburg State placed fifth, behind Truman State, with 72 1/2 points. In the men’s division, Central Missouri won another MIAA title with 174 1/2 points to 135 1/2 for runnerup Pittsburg State. Southern’s men finished fifth with 90 points. The Southern women built a huge first-day lead and continued to ring up the points on Sunday. They added victories by Jessica Selby-Tallman (shot put), Kara Eckard (3,000-meter steeplechase) and Jill Weeks (javelin). The throwing events were critical to the Lions’ success. They scored 80 points while sweeping the gold medals in the throws. The Southern women throwers outscored four entire MIAA teams. In races of 800 meters and longer, the Lions added another 76 points. “They’re dominating, but they’re humble,” Vavra said of her team. “A big part of their success has been that they genuinely care about each other as much as they do about themselves.” Central Missouri closed the gap on the Lions by scoring 23 points in the 100-meter dash midway through Sunday’s program. Emporia State, also with big-point potential, threatened to turn the team race into a three-way battle. 
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